Fun times? Hardly.
“Is some of it luck that isn’t falling our way this year? Maybe a little bit,” said Molz, in his third season as Monroe’s head coach. “But when it consistently happens to you game after game, it’s not luck. It’s something that we have to fix.”
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There are multiple reasons why the Hornets — who are 2-4 in the Southwestern Buckeye League Southwestern Division — have struggled to get over the hump, according to Molz.
They’ve got a number of young players. Their communication on the court has been lacking. They don’t have one guy who demands the ball and has the confidence to perform in tough situations. Leadership isn’t what it could be.
That may paint a depressing picture, but Molz is quick to point out that it’s a good group of kids that works hard. There’s simply a fine line between winning and losing, and the players need to refine some things to reach the fun side.
“I’ve never seen a team with this many close losses in my coaching career,” Molz said. “When we were 4-1, we thought we could beat anybody on our schedule. We could be 8-4, 9-3 right now instead of 4-8. But it’s not too late to turn things around.
“A league title is probably out of the question unless a lot of things happen for us, but there’s still a lot to play for. We’re still striving to be over .500 this season, and I think that’s within our grasp. And then there’s the (Division) II tournament.”
Monroe is the SWBL’s best defensive team, allowing only 44.3 points per game. Halfcourt man-to-man is the staple.
The Hornets aren’t so good on offense. They rank second-to-last in the league with their 45.2 scoring average, and Molz said that skill development needs to come in the offseason.
“I think we’ve made strides in the last few years doing things in the offseason, but we’ve got to keep getting better with that,” Molz said. “The more dedication and commitment we get with that will help us during the season. I think a lot of those closer games would go in our favor.”
Tristan Backas, a 6-foot-4 forward, is averaging 16.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.6 steals per game. He’s the only senior on the roster.
“We still have a good frame of mind,” Backas said. “I’m telling you, it’s been bad losing, so everybody brings it every day in practice. I believe in my heart of hearts that we’ve been working hard and that we’ve gotten better every day, so we’re going to turn it around here and string some wins together.”
Junior center Matt DeHart and junior guard Nick Osterman are also returning starters for Monroe. They are averaging 9.3 points and 5.5 boards per game between them.
Junior guard Shawn Poindexter and freshman guard Marty Zumbiel are the top scorers after Backas, averaging 7.9 and 7.5 points per contest, respectively. Sophomore guard Sam Jeffers is also playing a key role.
Backas is clearly the team’s best player. Molz said he kept Backas out of the starting lineup against Madison on Jan. 2 to give him something to think about.
“In all honesty, he’s responded since then,” Molz said.
Backas has been held to single-digit scoring just four times in the last two seasons.
“I know everybody looks up to me,” he said. “I’ve played varsity longer than everybody else, so it’s really on me to kind of turn things around. I’m trying to give it my all and I want to win something for Monroe, so I hope everybody kind of feeds off my energy.”
Next for the Hornets is a home game against Eaton on Friday night. Monroe’s last victory (59-56 in overtime) came on the Eagles’ floor on Dec. 12.
Molz conceded that it’s a must-win game for his team’s psyche.
“Absolutely,” he said. “We’ve got to find a way to win. If we can just get that taste of victory one time, I think it’ll help us get on a decent roll before the tournament.”
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